Interlocking joint for metallic frames



March 13, I928.

W. WAIT INTERLOCKING JOINT FOR METALLIC FRAMES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 31. 1927 h/et/ey ATTORNEY I o I O 4 klvvswon QM, j.

W. WAIT INTERLOCKING JOIN: FOR METALLIC FRAMES March 13, 1928,

Filed March 31. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Ms/e/ l/m' BY (J.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WESLEY Warner NEWBURGH, NEW YORK.

INT ERLOCKING JOINT FOR METALLIC FRAMES.

Application filed March 31,1927. 7 Serial No. 180,013.

ordinarily joined together by bolting and riveting. In the employment ofsuch methods much trouble has been experienced, owing to the diflicultyin obtaining a uniform setting of bolts and even clinching of therivets. Where the bolts are not uniformly set up, or the rivets areunevenly clinched, so that the stress of the load is carried by only afew of them, then there is a tendency to shear these few bolts to thedetriment of the joint. Furthermore, when a joint is formed by bolts orrivets, it is difficult to. determine by inspection whether the joint isfaulty or not.

The principal object of the instant invention is to avoid the use ofbolts and rivets and to provide a joint by shaping the ends of thecolumns and girders so that they can be joined in an interlock to formthe joint. The ends of frame units are shaped to conform withpredetermined patterns designed for ready engagement and evendistribution of the load stress between the engaged parts. The cuttingand shaping of the frame members to provide the interlocking joint canbe done at a central place equipped with machinery for quantityproduction to be furnished as stock material. In forming the joint it isonly necessary to positionthe members in interlocking relation. This isa particular advantage where the joint is made in a restricted spaceamine tunnel, for an instancecramping the use of riveting machines andbolting implements. After a joint has been formed all its parts areexposed for inspection so that faulty work can be readily detected.

The interlocking joint for carrying out the foregoing advantagesconsists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claims andillustrated by the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view, on the line-1-1 of Fig. 2, of. apinch-frame for mine tunnels.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a detailperspective of a saddle forming a part of the joint.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are detail perspective views, respectively, showingends of longitudinal and transverse girders and of a column shaped toform the joint.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1 the chairbeing shown in full lines.

While the invention is particularly shown and described as being appliedto pinchframes for mine tunnels, yet it is obvious that the joint can beemployed in other heavy framework construction.

- Referring to the drawings in detail, 10 designates the columns, 11 thelongitudinal floor girders, 12 the upper longitudinal girders and 13upper cross girders of a generally rectangular frame particularlyadapted to tunnel reinforcement. The joint between the lower ends of thecolumns 10 and the longitudinal floor girders 11 is the same as thejoint'disclosed in my former Patent 1,226,574, of March4, 1919, exceptthat a chair 14 is interposed between the crown of each girder and theweb of the column seated onthe girder.

The joints at the corners of the frame between the columns, and theupper longitudinal and cross girders are the same, and a description ofone will suflice for all. The web 15. of the column 10 (Fig. 6) iscompletely cut away at the upper part between the flanged sides 16 toform the upper transverse abut-ment 17 at the remaining upper edge ofthe web. In the upper parts of the opposite flanged sides 16 are thevertical slots 18 extending from the seat 17 through the ends of sides,the width of the slots bemg the same as the thickness of the web and theinner ends of the. seats being coincident with the upper abutment 17. Inthe upper part of the web 15 is the median longitudinal slot '19extending through the seat or abutment 17. The web atthe inner end ofslot provides a lower transverseseat or abutment 19'. i

The end of the longitudinal girder 12 (Fig. 5) forming part of the jointis shaped to fit the upper part of the column 10. The upper and lowerflanged sides 20 of the girder are notched, as at 21, in both edges onthe chair 1a seated in the lower end of the slot 19. The end of thegirder engaging Opposite sides of the web 15 of the column holds thegirder against longitudinal dis placement with relation to the column,Also engagement oi the under side of the girder with the chair 1% seatedon the web of the column prevents downward displacement of the girder. i

The endof the transverse girder 13 (Fig. 4E) forming another part of thejoint is shaped to fit the upper part of the column 10 above thelongitudinal girder 1.2. The opposite edges of the upper and lowerflanged sidesof the transverse girder, adJacentto the end, are notched,as at 22, to admit the flanged sides 16 of the column.

Fitted in place, the web 23 of the transverse girder fits the slots 18in the opposite flanged sides of the column and the lower flanged sideof the girderrests on the top of the longitudinal girder 12 and also onthe abutment 17 at the upper end of the web 15 of the column. Theflanged sides 16 of the column extend through the slots 22 in theopposite flanges of the upper and lower sides of the transverse girder.By this engagement of thetransverse girder and the column, the two arefirmly locked together against relative lateral movement and the girderis held against longitudinal and vertical movement with respect to thecolumn. The chair 14 (Fig. 8) seated between each end abutting the upperand lower longitudinal girders comprises a bearing plate 2 1 tocontactw'ith the girder and a web 25 notched at 26 to fit over thetransverse edge of the web of the column. In the opposite edges of thebearing plate are the notches 27 to lit the vertical edges of the columnweb. The chair is seated in the colummin the slot 19, Fig. 6,'for aninstance, with the vertical edges of the slot extending through thenotches 27 and thenotched web 25 of the chair straddling the web of thecolumn at the inner end of the slot 19. The chair serves to distributetheloadbetween the girder and the transverse abutment formed on the edgeof the column web.

What I claim is: i 1. The combination of a column having a web andflanged sides at each edge of the web, with girders interlocked with thec0 1 umn, said column atthe interlock having its web cut away betweenthe flanged sides to form an upper transverse abutment, the web alsohaving a median longitudinal slot to form a lower transverse abutment,one of the girders being seated on the lower abutment. and the othergirder being seated on the upper abutment.

2. The combination of a webbed column with girders angularly disposed toeach other and interlocked with the column, one of said girders beingimposed on the other, said column at the interlock having its webcutawayto form inner and outer abutments, the lower girder being seatedon the inner abutment and the upper girder being seated on the outerabutment.

3. The combination of a column having a web and flanged sides at eachedgeof the web, with webbed girders having flanged sides, said columnhaving its web cut away to form inner and outer abutments, the flangedsides of the column having 1ongitudinal slots extending outward from theouter abutment, said girders being angularly disposed to each other withone disposed on the other, the lower girder being seated on the innertransverse abutment *and the upper girder seated on the upper transverseabutment, the web of the upper girder registering with the longitudinalslots in the flanged sides of the column, and the flanged sides of bothgirders being notched and slotted to admit theflangedsides of thecolumn. a

4. The combination of a column with longitudinal and transverse girdersinterlocked with the column, the column andboth girders being formedeach with a web and flanges on both sidesat each edge of the web saidcolumn at theinterlock havingits web cut away between the ends-of theflanged sides to provlde an upper transverse abutment at the end of theweb inset fromthe extremities of the flanged sides, the web of thecolumn having a median longitudinal slot extending through the uppertransverse abutment and providing a lower transverse abutment in the webat the lower end} of the slot, and the flanged sides of the 001 umnhaving median loi'igitudinal} slots tending through their ends to theupper transverse abutment; said longitudinal gird- .er at the interlockextending between the flanged sides of the columnwith its webregistering with the median longitudinal slot in the column web, the webof the longitudinal girder beingseated on the lower transverse abutmentof thejcolumnweb; and sald transverse girder at the interlock beingimposed on the longitudinal girder and the outer transverse abutment andhaving its web registering with the,longitudinalslots in the flangedsides, the flanges of the girders being notched to admit the flangedsides of the column. 1

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WESLEY lVAIT.

